1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to improvements in infusion pumps of the type used for controlled, preprogrammed delivery of medication to a patient, and more particularly to a data transfer system designed for two-way communication with a programmable infusion pump in a manner which facilitates monitoring of pump operation, and/or permits convenient pump reprogramming from a remote location, if desired.
Infusion pump devices and systems are generally known in the medical arts, for use in delivering or dispensing a prescribed medication to a patient. In one form, such devices comprise a relatively compact pump housing adapted to receive a syringe carrying a prescribed medication such as insulin for administration to a patient through infusion tubing and an associated catheter or the like. The infusion pump operates a small drive motor connected to a syringe piston plunger to administer the medication to the patient.
Programmable control means are normally provided for operating the drive motor continuously, or at periodic intervals, to obtain a closely controlled and accurate delivery of medication over an extended time period. Such infusion pumps are utilized to administer insulin and other medications, with an exemplary pump construction being shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,562,751, to Nason et al.; in U.S. Pat. No. 4,678,408, to Nason et al.; and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,685,903, to Cable et al. All three of these patents are assigned to the assignee of the present application.
The infusion pump commonly includes a plurality of externally accessible control buttons or the like, which are manipulated in relation to a visual display to program the pump in accordance with patient medication requirements. Initial pump programming is normally performed by the patient's physician or by other medical personnel. However, particularly in the case of infusion pumps used to administer insulin to diabetic patients, the control buttons and related pump control circuitry are designed to accommodate at least some patient intervention to vary medication delivery times and doses in accordance with actual patient requirements.
In this regard, many modern programmable infusion pumps also include internal memory means for generating and storing data representing actual pump operation over a period of time. The stored data may be reviewed on a periodic basis by medical personnel, so that the patient's condition and treatment regimen can be closely monitored, and the pump reprogrammed as needed. Unfortunately, data retrieval from the pump and/or physician-dictated modification of the basic pump program have required regular patient visits to a medical treatment facility.
The present invention relates to a relatively simple and effective data transfer system designed for retrieving data from, and sending program data to, a medication infusion pump. The data transfer system is particularly suited for remote monitoring and/or reprogramming of the infusion pump.